Color of Tomorrow
by Nijuu
Summary: AU. GU. The Twilight Brigade is a group of wanderers who fight for food every day. Ovan leads them to a new place to live; the city. But will the wonders of the city- drugs, people, crime, business- be too much for Haseo and Shino? Currently on HIATUS.
1. Introduction : Shino

- **Color of Tomorrow** -

The light that poured from the gaps in the ceiling was the color of dry champagne, collecting filaments of dust that stuck in the smoky air. A young girl fell to the chalky floor inside a shoddy building, her bruised hand smearing blood across the planks. Her gasp was barely heard above the sound of men's chuckling, their voices deep and throaty.

One of the men tapped on the hollow wall of the shack. "These walls ain't soundproof, so don't get too rough, fellas." The victimized girl strained to comment, but the thick air caused her to choke, coughing so hard saliva trailed from her rose-colored lips to the dirty floor. In her dazed mind, she wondered what would become of her...

"Heh heh, don't sweat it," a fair-haired man reassured, flipping a knife around in his hands. "This girl's as good as dead." His hand found her mess of silver hair, pulling her to face the dusky ash light. "But first..." She could feel his finger trail down her neck and collar until it rested against one of her breasts. "Let's see what's under that pretty dress of yours."

She inhaled sharply and pulled back to resist, but he was far stronger than her. "D-don't...touch me," she spat as clearly as she could, but the company just laughed quietly amongst themselves. Another man grabbed her hair and shoulder as the other let go, taking a step back into the light. His face gave him a look of about twenty years of age, a saucy grin plastered across his visage.

He cut a streak across her blood-flushed cheek, creating a red line of warning. "If you get too wild, it'll be your neck." She felt her muscles relax as the man slipped his hand to her already short dress hem. "Nice legs, huh guys?" he asked, tracing his fingers across her upper thigh. They yelled in agreement, grinning in a similar style as their friend. His hand moved with swift agility under her dress.

"Let g-go!" she struggled, pulling an elbow back to strike the man behind her in the nose. He recoiled in pain, but the men were far more numerous and two more got a hold of her. She could hear the sound of faint conversation outside. She had to make a commotion.

"Bitch!" The blonde man cursed, striking her once across the face. She reached out one of her long legs to kick the man, but she was too far. Once he neared her again with the knife, she spat right in his eye, stopping him. The blood from her cheek trailed down her face with her movement, dripping onto her soft black dress.

The man wiped the liquid from his eye, tightening the grip on his knife. "Somebody help m-!" A hand covered the woman's mouth as she attempted to start an uproar. Curses could be heard all around, and she jabbed the heel of her boot into the toe of the man behind her.

He screamed in agony and let her loose, but the other held her tighter. "She's vicious!" He warned as others began picking up objects to hit her with. She heard a chain rattle and fiercely bit a finger of the hand on her mouth. "Yeeowch!" He held his nearly severed finger and backed up from her, but it was too late.

A chain-whip came into contact with her face, knocking her blank for a moment, and then a wooden chair cracked over her head, forcing her to the floor. Someone got her arm behind her back, threatening to break it. She held still, breathing heavily with adreneline-pumping vessels. A dark-haired man approached her, scowling at her with disapproval. "What's your name, whore?"

Her fair bangs shaded her eyes as she focused intently on the dust-powdered floor. "Sh...Shino." Her voice cracked and she watched a steady shower of blood from her temple drip to the wood. "My name is none of your damn business, though!"

"Well, Shino," the dark man began eerily. "If you will just comply, you won't get hurt." She was lifted to her feet suddenly, two muscular arms reaching under her armpits to hold her in a lock from behind. The man stepped forward, heavy footsteps against the floor. His calloused hands ran against her thigh and up her dress.

"Hands _off_, jackass!" she tried again, resisting to no avail. He lifted the hem of her dress and she could feel her face turn crimson as the man exposed her abdomen down to the crowd. Her skin was pale and soft, nothing tainted with dirt under her dress. The men whistled and oohed at her figure, making faces and motions she had to close her eyes to block out.

"I said _stop it!_" she exclaimed, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She pushed them through the blood on her face, mixing the red with clear.

"Oh? Why don't you say you're sorry?" He twisted the skin of her arms, sending jolts of pain through her body. "And speak up so we can all hear."

In her mind, she knew she wasn't sorry. But if it meant escaping this pain and humiliation, she would do anything. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The guys put their hands to their ears jokingly, trying to hear her. "I'm..."

"Hmm?" The man leaned closer. "I can't hear a word."

More tears fell and Shino could feel herself losing motivation. She drew in another shaky breath. "I'm...sorry."

There was a loud thud as everyone turned around, looking at the fallen front door. Shino was released immediately, the man holding her accidently breaking the strap of her dress. "Who's there?" they demanded. She scooted to the back of the room, hoping to be forgotten, but a man grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her up.

"Get your dirty hands off that girl, now!!" An unfamiliar voice pierced the tension like fire, and a switchblade flew through the air. It made contact with the man beside Shino, stabbing through his left eye and plunging into his cranium and brain. He fell to the floor and Shino backed up; the rest of the group grabbed a nearby weapon.

"Show yourself!" Their commands were granted as the figure stepped from the shadow, dressed in an equally dark outfit. His eyes were like blood, red and deep. His hair was a similar shade of silver as Shino's, spiking out in different directions. He held two more blades, long and sharp, one already red-stained. He had red marks on his face, though not cuts.

With a confident smile, he tilted his head at the group. "Name's Haseo."

Immediately, the crowd buzzed to life with talk of the gangster legend, the _Terror of Death_. No one had ever seen him in person, only heard rumors. They gripped their weapons tighter, hoping they could hold him off.

"Ha...se...o..." Shino thought. She could feel herself teetering on the edge of oblivion.

"You're dead!" The gang cried, lunging forward to take the stranger out. "Take this!"

Haseo grinned to himself as he dodged to the side of one blow, grabbing their arm and twisting it ruthlessly behind them so it broke. He ducked below a knife stab, plunging one of his own through the offender's middle. His other knife quickly whipped out to his other side, slicing the hand off another man. Once Haseo recovered, everyone was trembling in fear, four of their comrades dead or injured.

"Who's next?" he taunted, licking the blood from the steel blade of his knife. Shino felt herself blush at the fact that someone had come to save her. But her dreams were cut short when she was lifted up again.

"All he wants is the girl! Get her!" A man tried to pick up a club to hit her, but Haseo shook his head and paced over rapidly, flipping his knife around to comfortably stab the man through the back as he raised the cudgel against her. Shino gasped as Haseo's hand snaked around her waist, pulling her close to him.

The gang surrounded them, Haseo holding one arm against Shino and the other pointing the knife at the crowd. His vision flicked from side to side, waiting for their next move. Something caught his attention, and he took a deep breath. "Kick the chain," Haseo commanded to her lowly, keeping his eyes locked on the targets.

"Excuse me?" Shino glared at him in confusion.

"Kick the damn chain by your feet," he hissed, stepping to the side to hold the gang's interest. Shino looked down with her eyes, keeping her head level, and saw a rusty chain. Her eyes met those of the man before her, and the tip of her boot caught the chain.

The chain rattled as she lifted it, distracting them. Her slim leg swept to the side, whipping the chain across the jaw of three or so guys. Using the distraction, Haseo threw both of his knives, killing another two men. They struggled to regain members as Haseo gave Shino a surprised, somewhat cynical glance. "I didn't mean like that, but hell."

Shino giggled coyly, and Haseo threw back a small smile. However, they were still surrounded, outnumbered, and now they didn't have any weapons. "Dammit, there're still too many of them!" Haseo pushed past a gap in their circle, dragging Shino with him. "Outta my way!"

"Not so fast!" Haseo blocked a blow to his head with his forearm, shoving Shino to the door. She lost her footing as the rogue tried to hold off the army. Her hands hit the fallen door as she nearly faceplanted, and she could hear her savior get hurt.

"Haseo!" she cried trying to turn around from her vantage point on the floor.

"Get the fuck out already!" he screamed, holding the dark-haired man's blade with his bare hands. Shino's eyes widened as she heard a gun load. She opened her mouth to warn Haseo, but he already rolled to the side.

Two successive bullets fired, each hitting their mark as a couple of the thugs fell down, blood spurting from their necks and heads. The girl's eyes first looked at Haseo, who was tending his hands, smiling wryly, and whispering something to himself.

Next, she turned back to the doorway, where her vision fell upon a pair of dark blue boots. "Sorry I'm late," a deep voice said, shifting his feet to a better position. Another bullet struck someone as they screamed in torment, falling dead.

Haseo, having recovered his knives, quickly stood and moved to Shino, standing between her and the mysterious visitor. "It's about damn time," Haseo groused to him, evoking a small, dry laugh from the gunman. Shino took Haseo's offered hand and he lifted her to her feet.

She gasped aloud at the sight of the new man. He was tall and shady, a little creepy, but his entire left arm was consumed by a mass of off-white bandages. His right hand held a long gun, still smoking at the end from its recent use. His hair was dark cobalt, and his eyes shielded behind bright amber sunglasses. When he saw her, his eyebrow raised of its own volition. "Hm, she's cute."

Shino blushed and turned away from him, folding her arms as if insulted. Haseo laughed shortly and shrugged. "Yeah, you should've seen her earlier." The girl cleared her throat.

"Um, hello? Bad guys!" She waved an arm at the rest of the gang impatiently. "Kill them already!" The man and Haseo exchanged amused glances.

"Demanding, too," the stranger pointed out. Haseo nodded and the two walked forward with menacingly patient steps. The harrowing duo forced the offending group to back up, hardly standing with any pride anymore.

An sinister gleam in Haseo's eyes became visible as he raised a blade against a man. "Yep," he agreed with the other, decapitating the victim he'd chosen. "Just the way I like 'em."

Shino cringed in disgust. The gun wielder parried a weak strike and tripped them to the floor, shooting them in the head shortly afterwards. There was a slim blade on the top of his gun, which he then used to slit the throat of another. As they screamed in pain, he shot them, then punched a man behind him in the face, breaking their nose on impact.

"This is more of a beat-up, eh?" Haseo asked, apparently ignoring Shino as he sliced the ear off a living man. "I prefer for them to fight back."

"If I'm not mistaken," the sunglass-wearer began with an easy smile. "You were pretty well cornered when I showed up." Shino stifled her laughter, which quickly turned to a groan of misery when Haseo drove his blade down another man's throat, almost as if it was a game.

Haseo sighed irritably and blew some bangs from his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. So you're saying these guys stopped fighting back because _you_ showed up?" Shino decided it was obvious by this point that the two had known each other for a while. His friend laughed curtly again, an agreement with Haseo's comment.

Ten seconds of silence later, the harrassers were all dead. The blade rogue exhaled in exhaustion. "Hope that wasn't too gruesome for you, miss," he said, directing his attention back to her.

She scoffed arrogantly and tried to hold the broken strap up properly. "Please. I wouldn't have been surprised if you and your friend had started eating the corpses," she complained as a figure of pointing out how gross they were. This only caused the two to laugh though.

"It smells like death in here. Let's get out." Haseo took Shino's arm and led her outside, the footfalls of the other man behind her. The sky was darker now, the sun setting. Purple and fuchsia tints streaked across the sky. "Man," Haseo sighed again, running a gloved hand through his hair, staining it with blood.

His crimson eyes turned to the girl and he smiled, for once, without malice. "Haseo."

The bandage guy faced her also, an expression of equal sincerity on his calm face. "Ovan."

She stared at them both, then smiled and closed her eyes. With a small bow of thanks, she opened her eyes and looked at theirs with trust and hope. "Shino."


	2. The Wasteland

**Chapter 2 : **The Wasteland

Several months later...

Four of the members of the Twilight Brigade gang were sitting in their worn-down hut of shelter, clouded with smoke that couldn't escape through the boarded windows. An orange-haired girl ground her cigarette in a glass ashtray, blowing smoke through her lips casually. It was midday, but the sunlight was only visible through a few holes in the walls and the slightly ajar door. Outside, there was nothing but similar buildings and dirt.

"How's the shop coming along, Sakisaka?" the cat-like auburn asked, turning her attention. The man let out a hopeless sigh, which caused the other three to grow immediately upset. "Don't tell me we're broke _again_!"

Sakisaka laughed nervously and raised his hands in defense. "Not broke yet, but we had a high of two customers today." There was a silence. "Neither of them bought anything." A collective sigh of disappoinment filled the room. "I'm trying my hardest! But without money, we can't get stuff to sell, and therefore we don't get any customers!"

Shino stood from her seat on the sheetless bed, basically a small mattress. "We can't go on living like this. I haven't eaten in a whole day, and people are always robbing us as things are." She turned to the other girl, folding her arms. "And Tabby, you look like hell. Do we even have fresh water?"

"Fresh water?" Haseo asked incredulously with a smirk. "Yeah right. If we had fresh water, we'd be millionaires." He kicked an empty can of old soda that they'd been living off for a couple of days. "No one likes the slums any more than you do, Shino. We just have to deal with it." She groaned in agony, holding her stomach in pain. "And it's so hot..." Haseo randomly commented, wiping sweat from his brow.

The quartet exchanged beaten glances, thankful they at least had each other for company. A silence filled the room, and Haseo slammed his fist on the wall. "Man, where the fuck is-"

The door opened and someone stepped in, kicking the door shut as sand from the streets blew in. "It's like a drought out there," he said, dumping an armful of merchandise on the table. "What are you guys doing holed up in here?"

Shino pointed to the counter in the corner of the room, where there was a handheld, battery-powered fan running. "Besides," she went on as he shook his head in shame. "I don't want to get sand and dust all over me. What took you, Ovan?"

Ovan bit one of his nails in distraction, eyeing a hole in the wall. "I ran into a couple of hotshots on the way back."

"And by a couple, you mean...?" Haseo jumped off the top bunk and started for the table.

"About a dozen. But don't worry, you won't be seeing any of them." Tabby picked up a loaf of wrapped bread, her mouth watering. Also on the table were two bottles of water, four apples, and large bottle of some murky liquid, probably rum.

Everyone crowded around the central table, some not even touching the sacred food. "Wow, Ovan! This is amazing! Where do you get all this stuff?" Haseo picked up an apple, but Ovan took it from him.

"I just made another trip to town. But don't get too excited. This is for the shop." Everyone's jaws dropped.

"The shop?!" Sakisaka exclaimed angrily. "Those hooligans out there don't deserve this type of...divine..." His hand trailed to the bottle of alcohol, but Ovan stopped him with a warning look. "Are you out of your mind?"

Ovan went over to the far wall and propped open a window, the makeshift sales counter falling out with a small tap. "All we have to do is sell everything for way more than it's worth and we'll make a fortune. The customers will be so greedy and desperate, they won't even know it's overpriced. It's called making a profit." The others nodded at Ovan's logic, still staring at the food. "The more you eat, the less we sell. And the less we sell, the slimmer the chance of ever seeing this type of food again."

Sakisaka and Tabby took their places at the sales counter. "I guess that makes sense. We're so poor, I'm guessing you stole all this?" Ovan nodded, not even guilty. "This 'town' you talk about must be really cool. You can just go up and steal food," Tabby fantasized, causing Ovan to roll his eyes.

"You can't just _go up_ and steal things. It's very technical." He put his hand in his pocket, pulling something out. "Oh, and these are for you, ladies." He tossed a small shiny object to Shino, and then one to Tabby, making Haseo shake with anger. "It's not much, but they wouldn't sell for a lot. You two look starved."

Shino turned the small chocolate over in her fingers and admired the wrapper, then looked up with glossy eyes. "Oh, Ovan..."

He smiled warmly and nodded to her. "Don't feel bad. I stole it from a baby." He left the building, Haseo following after him.

Sakisaka watched enviously as the two girls happily ate the chocolates. "Man, Ovan. That sexist jerk." Tabby slapped him over the head.

"Don't say things like that! Ovan hasn't eaten anything either." Sakisaka grumbled something incoherent, and Tabby turned to Shino. "I feel bad. Ovan's been working so hard for us, walking to town and back through the heat, trying not to get caught stealing. I feel like we don't do anything." Shino nodded slowly, still nibbling her candy. "Still, I bet this stuff will sell in less than an hour. We should get to work."

Shino stuffed the wrapper in her pocket. "Yes, and once you sell everything, Ovan can go get us even more food, so we can all eat again." She smiled to herself and went outside. "It's all downhill from here."

Outdoors, it was hot and sunny, stifiling dusty air making the heat more unbearable. Tumbleweeds glided down the main dirt road, and heaps of garbage were on the end of every block. There was no water, no mountains, or anything. It was just a wasteland.

"Wait up," Haseo called, making Ovan slow down a bit. "Where are you going?"

Ovan gave him a bored look, smiling slightly. "Just for a walk." Haseo didn't bother to wait for an invitation and started walking by his side. "Aren't you going to help with the store?"

Haseo shrugged. "I think those three can handle it on their own." He recognized the sound of hurried footsteps behind him and put a hand to his head, sighing. "Or, those _two_." As expected, Shino appeared by his side, panting lightly. "Hey. It's dangerous out here, you know."

"I know," Shino returned, pulling her black shirt that was stuck to her chest. "But I wanted to thank Ovan for the candy." Haseo groaned and Ovan laughed kindly. "I'm sure you two must be hungry. Maybe we can find something around here."

"We can try," Ovan and Haseo said simultaneously, knowing their chances were not good. "What the people didn't get, the animals did."

Their walk was tiring and the sun was scorching their backs, but they didn't run into any people or food along the way. The tan surroundings eventually became a blur and Shino rested on Haseo for support. "There's...shade," she said between breaths. "Let's take a break." Haseo nodded weakly.

Ovan leaned forward to look at the couple, who glared back at him. "You two shouldn't wear black. It just makes you even hotter." Haseo scoffed, but Shino looked at the ground.

"Black is all I have. I had to borrow these shorts from Tabby, and they were her only other pair." She fingered the fringe of her denim shorts, stringing another strand off the bottom. "Food is one problem, but clothes are totally different issue," she sighed.

"Please," Haseo argued, pushing her off. "You don't need clothes to live." Shino and Ovan both gave him shocked looks. "Well, you kind of do, but not like food and water. Clothes are the least of our problems."

Before them, in the shade, a small gang of people were already sitting there, taking up a great amount of space. "Looks like we have company," Ovan murmured, approaching the gang. They looked up, not moving. "Mind if we join you?" Haseo elbowed him in warning, but he was ignored. "You look like you have room to spare."

The leader of the gang stood, folding his arms. "This is our territory," he said blankly. Shino grabbed Ovan's arm, trying to move him away from the other people. "Find your own place to rest."

"Oh? Well, I have a girl here who's very tired, so if it's not too much trouble, I think she should be allowed to take a break here," Ovan explained coolly, keeping his eyes on the leader. Shino gave him a look, saying she could go somewhere else, but it was no use.

Another gang member stood. "We don't give a shit how that whore feels; we ain't moving!" He drew a knife, and Ovan smiled with satisfaction. "Beat it!"

"I'd prefer not to get violent," Ovan remarked, drawing his gun. Haseo grinned widely and drew both of his knives, tossing one to Shino. "But if it's a fight you want..."

"It's a fight you'll get." Haseo stepped up, looking down his nose at the dirty peaseants. "Don't you know who we are?" They raised their eyebrows in question. "No? That's alright. We'll teach you."

The leader's eyes widened and he turned to his people. "These are the guys with all that food and loot. If we take them out, we can get all their stuff!" Everyone rose, drawing weapons, and the trio took stances.

Ovan looked at Shino reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's in self-defense." Haseo moved first and sliced deeply across one man's chest. They cried out in pain, but the rogue silenced them with a stab to their neck. Ovan blocked a blow intended for Haseo with his forearm, then shot them through their midsection. Within seconds, Ovan and Haseo were back to back, fighting off every thug who came within two feet of Shino.

Haseo winced in pain as steel slashed across his face. "Dammit, these guys are fast." He kicked a brunette's ankle, breaking it, and stepped on their back as they fell face-first to the dirt. "You alright, Ovan?" he asked, using his other foot to step on the side of his victim's head, snapping their neck.

A large wooden club came into contact with Ovan's head, dazing him. "I'm...fine," he returned, blinking rapidly. "This won't take long." He beheaded a man with his gun blade, then shot through one man and into another. "Shino?"

She brought down Haseo's blade, nearly chopping the hand off another guy. He pushed her down, but she quickly went for his heel, slicing the tendon. "I'm alright!" She wiped the blood from her lip, looking up to see her two friends keeping the gang away from her. "Thanks."

A thug knocked Haseo's blade out of his hand, sending it spiraling towards Shino. "Watch out!" he hollered as she rolled out of the way. "Alright, you asked for it!" He slugged the offender across the jaw, sending teeth flying. Taking their shoulders in his hands, he brought his knee up into their stomach, blood spewing from their mouth. He got them in a headlock and drove his elbow into another man's gut. "This won't take long, huh?"

Ovan shot three consecutive bullets into three different people. "Yep. I'm done." Haseo threw down his last two and dusted off his hands, smirking evilly at the corpses. Shino returned his knives to him and took a seat in the shade. The sun was beginning its way down through the sky as Haseo searched the pockets of the victimized thugs.

The silver-haired boy relinquished the coins to Ovan before sitting next to him beside the brick building. "I hate this place." Ovan turned to him. "Day after day, we just beat people up for money, spend it on food, and sleep in beds without sheets." Haseo hung his head and sighed abjectly, strands of his messy hair blocking his eyes. "How much longer are we going to be here?"

The other man smiled mysteriously, removing his sunglasses and smearing away the almost unnoticable blood droplets. "Perhaps not as long as you think." Haseo looked up in confusion. He opened his mouth to further interrogate his friend, but Shino crawled over, handing a small strip of cloth to Ovan and using the other to tend Haseo's facial wound. Ovan pressed the cloth against the blood from the club impact, then pulled it off and stared at the dark maroon stain. "We'll be out of here before long."

Shino and Haseo fell asleep in the shade. They rested in silence for a while, Ovan looking through the clouds of dust to the city beyond their home. Looking at his two younger friends, he gave them a fond smile. _This place is all these two have ever known. I don't know if they're ready for what's out there._ The sun was sending hazy mauve streams across the blue sky, and tiny white specks of light appeared in the east, the direction of the metropolis town.

The sky looked light orange as Ovan gazed through his sunglasses, at the west. The mauve he saw were stratus clouds, which didn't give a lot of hope for rain. The slums were in a heavy drought, and he knew the two kids wouldn't last much longer. But while there wasn't rain, there were also no mountains, which made the area a good target for strong winds. Their only shelter, a small wooden shack, was decrepit and falling apart.

The tiny specks of skyscraper window lights flourished as the sun began to go down, sitting on the horizon. All along, Ovan made trips there and the others just called it "town" or "out there". It would be culture shock, but they had to leave this wasteland. He had one more plan before they relocated, and it was already in progress. It just had to be successful.

The man's coarse hand sifted through Haseo's mop of silver hair, tousling it lightly. The boy groaned and rolled over on his back, cracking his eyes open. "It's dark," he said groggily. Ovan nodded and stood, offering a hand to Haseo.

"And it's getting late." He helped the boy to his feet and they both turned to Shino, still sleeping. They smiled gingerly, watching her breathe, her brow dappled with sweat and her hands covered in dirt and blood. "Reminds me of when we first found her."

Haseo looked at Ovan, then back at Shino. "Yeah. I'm sure glad we did." He picked the girl up and rested her head against his chest, letting her sleep on. Ovan knew Haseo had feelings for Shino, and Haseo might've known that he knew. But he didn't intend to make a big deal about it. The two started back to their home; the only home Shino and Haseo had ever known.


	3. The City

**Chapter 3 : **The City

The sun was down by the time the three returned to the shack. Haseo kicked the door opened, sending a couple of rats scurrying back to their mousehole. He set Shino down on the bed as Ovan closed the door. "Where'd the other two go?" he asked, looking at the empty counter. Not only were the supplies gone, but Tabby and Sakisaka had vanished too. "It's late. They might get robbed if they're carrying all our stuff."

"Don't worry about them," Ovan assured him, closing the window.

Haseo fell into a chair, slumping and heaving a tired sigh. "They'd better get back here soon. I'll kill them if they just ran off with our money!" Ovan gave him a small smile, warning him to keep his voice down so Shino could sleep.

A vociferous pound broke the silence as the door burst open, revealing Tabby and Sakisaka. "We did it!" Tabby cried in elation, jumping up and down. "We're rich! We're fucking rich!" Haseo immediately got up and grabbed the girl by the collar of her shirt. "Eek!"

"Where were you?!" he growled, glaring at her angrily. Sakisaka came up behind her and detached Haseo from her shirt.

"Looking for you," he replied easily, throwing a small sack of coins onto the table. It landed with a heavy thud, making everyone turn their attention to it. "I didn't know the bastards in this place were so loaded, but they'd pay anything for that stuff you got." Ovan picked the satchel up and opened it, taking a gold coin out. "But now we have all this money and I don't know what to do with it."

Ovan flipped the coin into the air with his thumb, a satisfying ring echoing through the walls. "I'll take care of the details. Everyone else, get some sleep." Tabby and Sakisaka shrugged and started for the back room. Shino, who was awake by now, watched Ovan leave.

"What's going on?" she asked Haseo, who turned to her in surprise.

"Oh, I didn't know you were up. Basically we made a killing with all that food and now we're rich as hell." Shino nodded lazily, staring at one of the boarded windows. "I wonder where Ovan went." Haseo went outside and Shino shook her head, smiling weakly.

"Ovan this, Ovan that," she said to herself, looking at the door as Haseo closed it. "Oh Haseo. What are you going to do when he leaves you...?"

The starry sky was midnight black, no electric light available to pollute the sky. Ovan was staring deeply into the charcoal black abyss, lost in thought. "Hey," Haseo greeted so as not to surprise him. However, the man didn't move, and Haseo neared his side. "So what are you planning on doing with all that money?"

The taller man finally turned to Haseo, the pouch of coins still in his hand. "Well this," he started, looking at the money, "combined with some money I've been saving, is going to be our ticket out of this place." Haseo gave him a skeptical look. "Trust me," he continued, knowing Haseo would trust him regardless.

"Alright, whatever you say." The two stood in silence a while longer, Haseo not noticing Ovan's gaze stray to the eastern lights. "Where will we go then?" he said, looking down.

The boy jumped when he felt Ovan's hand on his shoulder. "You'll see. But for now," Ovan paused, looking at the near-dilapidated shack, "Go enjoy the last night you'll ever spend in that house." Haseo turned to the man and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. All he could do for now was trust him, and wait and see what tomorrow would bring.

The Next Morning

Ovan woke everyone up early, all too tired to argue. Tabby and Sakisaka, who had gone to bed first, were awake enough to walk, but the other two teenagers refused to move. Shino slept heavily in silence, but Haseo groaned and muttered in protest, keeping his eyes closed. The sun had not yet risen, and the two younger ones needed more sleep. Sakisaka gave Ovan an annoyed glance, but said nothing.

The sky outside was a milky blanket of deep ultramarine, a blur of violet where the sun was soon to appear. Distant specks of gold and white glistened where the city was, a steady glow in comparison to the constant twinkling of the heavenly stars. Tabby took a simple look back at the wasteland of poverty and dirt, knowing she would never return. With a small nod, the group started towards the east.

They descended from the hill which held their old home, and soon the buildings were out of view. "It's likely we'll make it there by nightfall," Ovan remarked, nodding at the city lights and shifting Haseo's weight in his arms. "We'd only make it there by sunset if we walked nonstop."

"And that ain't gonna happen," Sakisaka announced, rolling his stiff shoulder while still trying to let Shino sleep peacefully. He looked down at the girl in his arms. "These two had better appreciate the extra sleep they're getting." Tabby laughed quietly and plucked a cigarette from her pocket, searching for a lighter. "At least they'll have a lot of energy when we get there. They're both so young they'll be psyched as soon as we arrive."

Tabby slipped the cigarette between her lips and took a drag off it. "I hope we can afford to make a living there," she said hopefully, looking at Ovan. "Do we really have enough money?" Ovan nodded solemnly, taking his eyes from the trail for a moment to catch a glimpse of Haseo's sleeping form. His breathing was steady, his eyes closed without any kind of force. The man knew Haseo would've been excited to see the slums for the last time, but he didn't want to make the trip difficult for him.

The fine, sand-like dirt beneath their feet eventually turned to thicker soil and green grass as they left the boundaries of the slums and entered a more vegetated field. Dawn began to rise and the air grew warmer as the sun appeared on the horizon, making the crystal lights of the city fade in the brilliance of the reddish orb. The black that earlier pervaded the sky was overcome with light orange and rosy tints, the navy turning to a clear sky blue. Wisps of white clouds danced across the sky in streams, some colored pale ginger by the sun.

Dew began to appear on the blades of grass below the travelers' feet. Sakisaka felt his arms grow heavy and weak, Shino falling deeper into sleep and making herself heavier. "Hey, Ovan," he started, panting lightly. "Can we...take a break? Shino's killing me."

The taller man turned around grudgingly, having no problem holding Haseo. "I suppose so. We've covered a lot of ground since we left." As the group sat down, hunger nor thirst ever crossed their mind. Famine was entirely overshadowed by hope as they walked toward the town, so no one complained about food that morning.

Sakisaka set Shino on the ground as carefully as I could, and she let out a soft sigh, still sleeping. "Man, I feel like I've been walking for days," he moaned, lying down on the ground beside the girl. Tabby took a seat next to him, hugging her knees to her chest. "But it'll be worth it," he continued, turning his head to the side. "When we get there."

Ovan took a seat at the base of a small tree before gently moving Haseo out of his arms to sit beside him, leaning against the tree. Haseo, too, remained asleep, mumbling something with the movement. "Yes, there's a lot that awaits us in that city." Haseo's words from the other day ran through Ovan's mind. He knew how much the boy hated the slums, and he greatly hoped that everyone could start a new life in town, without having to rob and kill everyday just to stay alive. To them, that city was a beam of faith, a pinnacle of inspiration. It was a paradise.

"Just know," Ovan started again, turning to Tabby and Sakisaka. "That once we get there..." He stopped, shifting his gaze to the grass. Tabby cocked her head in confusion. "Once we get there, you'll be free to do whatever you want. Go wherever. You can..." The two detected some form of hurt in Ovan's voice, though his face didn't show it. Once their eyes met, Tabby gasped quietly.

"You don't mean..." Tabby covered her mouth when Ovan gave her a weak smile, nodding once. Sakisaka sat up, looking at the man charily. However, he nodded confidently in understanding. "Ovan..."

"Please," he began again, looking down at Haseo. "Don't tell these two." His hand gently stroked the boy's soft silver hair, easing his sleep. "I'll tell them on my own, when the time comes." Tabby looked at Shino's resting body, smiling warmly.

The girl turned to Ovan and nodded. "I understand." The man gave her a grateful look. Without another word, the three stood and their journey continued.

A couple of hours later, Sakisaka let out a groan of agony. "How much longer do we have to walk?" he nearly shouted, throwing his head back in exhaustion. "My legs hurt. My arms hurt. Hell, my ass hurts even!" Tabby giggled and ran to catch up with him.

"Aww, is Shino too heavy? I can carry her!" she taunted, making the man even angrier.

"I told you this would be a long walk," Ovan reminded the two, smirking knowingly. "If we have to take another break, we can."

"I think I would like that, very much!" Sakisaka yelled, trying to get Tabby to stop hovering around him. "The sun's a little higher up. Maybe we should find some shade." His earlier shouting had woken Shino up, and Tabby looked at her.

Her fist came into contact with Sakisaka's head, making Shino flinch. "Now look, you woke Shino up!" the girl practically roared. Shino fell to the ground when he let go of her, too tired to feel the impact. "Grr, and then you dropped her! You're such a clod, Sakisaka!"

The darkly-clad girl stood, dusting herself off. "Where are we?" she asked, though she was ignored. She quietly rubbed the rest of the sleep from her eyes, yawning and stretching casually as Tabby proceeded to harrass her other friend.

"I didn't mean to! Leave me alone!" Sakisaka cried, running away from Tabby. "Help me!" He ran behind Shino and tried to use her as a guard against Tabby's attack. "I swear it was an accident; you punched me after all!"

Tabby shot back an array of protests as she wrestled Shino from her enemy's hold. "Cuz you woke her up, duh! Way to go, jerk!"

"Settle down, you two," Ovan intervened as if scolding school children. "We need to get moving." Shino neared his side to escape from the other two's quarrel.They finally quieted down, still talking to each other harshly, as Shino looked at Haseo.

"Aw, Haseo looks so peaceful!" she admired, clasping her hands together in joy. However, the boy's cerise eyes fluttered upon at the sound of his name. He groaned in awakening as Shino stepped back a little. "I guess I woke him up."

Haseo tried to move, brushing a hand across his eyes as he adjusted to the sunlight. "Where...hm?" He looked up to see Ovan looking down at him. "Ovan?" The boy finally felt the arms that binded him shortly before an unwanted blush ensued.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" he demanded, struggling violently against Ovan's grasp. The man attempted to hold him and prevent him from hurting himself, but Haseo escaped his grip and fell to the ground with a thud, his face meeting the dirt.

"I was going to put you down," Ovan quipped as the other three laughed loudly. Haseo growled in hatred, lifting himself from the earthy ground. He looked up to see Ovan's amused smile and Shino's grin she attempted to repress.

"What the fuck was that?" Haseo snapped, dusting the dirt off him. He felt his flushed cheeks begin to cool as he glared at Ovan again.

The man raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "We started for town early today. Would you rather I'd left you?"

"I'd rather you'd woken me up!!" he persisted.

"That's not what it seemed like when I tried to this morning," Ovan replied smoothly, smiling kindly at the boy. Haseo just turned around and folded his arms. "We were just about to take a break."

The five of them sat in a circle, Haseo as far from Ovan as he could get. "We're headed for the city I always go to for supplies," Ovan began, mostly for Haseo and Shino's information. "From now on, that's where we're all going to live. It's a metropolis known as Doluminanu. There will be a lot of people, more than any of you have ever seen before. There are many things you'll have to learn, but I'll give you the details once we arrive." He glanced at Shino, and then Haseo. "Our plan is to make it there by nightfall. So if any of you get tired, one of us will carry you." This comment made Haseo turn his head away with a sharp sigh.

The rest of the trip went on in comfortable silence. They hiked up a steep hill as the sun was setting, tainting the sky with orange the color of flames, magenta and rose clouds. The deep, crimson sun they'd watched rise was now setting silently behind them, heating their backs as they pushed closer to their destination.

Haseo's foot slipped on a patch of rocks, throwing him off balance. He prepared to hit the ground for the second time that day until he felt an arm wrap around his chest from behind, catching his fall. "You okay?" they asked, and Haseo recognized the voice immediately.

"Stop it already, Ovan," Haseo commanded wryly, unable to stop the smirk that formed on his lips. He moved one hand to rest on top of Ovan's, trying to pull him off as someone ahead of him extended a hand towards him. The boy looked up to see Shino, the orange light on her pretty face, as she offered a hand to Haseo. He took it as Ovan let go and she pulled him up a few steps, nearly at the top of the hill.

Tabby and Sakisaka were already atop the mound, their jaws slack as they stared in awe at the skyscraper-filled city. Haseo and Shino came up behind them, and Ovan finally joined them. The quintet gazed for a long time, taking in the beauty of the black, lacquer-sheen buildings with blinding red-yellow windows that reflected the sun. They could hear traffic sounds and see the neon lights of billboards and shops.

Shino clutched Haseo's hand, swallowing hard. They looked at each other, and the girl smiled in excitement. "You ready?"

Haseo smiled back and turned to Ovan, who nodded to him. The rogue's carmine eyes lit up and he faced the city. "Yeah." He rushed forward and pulled Shino with him, who squealed in delight and fascination. "Let's go!"


	4. Exploration

**Chapter 4 : **Exploration

Dazzling neon lights illuminated the city that seemed to coruscate every color of bright light possible. Headlights of automobiles shone down slick black streets that were dappled with water. One could only see so far before any tall, obsidian black buliding loomed into view. Streetlights flickered on as the sun disappeared below the horizon. People walked around in luscious clothing with perfectly styled, multi-colored hair. The women's faces were slathered with make-up and the men were all well-kept, holding doors open for their partners.

The two ran until they were out of breath, stepping into the cities limits. A little girl tugged on the sleeve of her mother, staring at the couple oddly. "Mommy, who are those people?" she asked. The mother turned to see what her daughter was talking about and her eyes caught sight of two silver-haired beggars in tattered rags of clothing. The look in their eyes was of pure fascination as well as overwhelming confusion. They were horribly skinny, covered in dirt and looked unclean.

Despite all of this, the woman smiled. "They're newcomers," she said to her daughter, who looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Like immigrants?" she asked innocently, to which her mother laughed.

"No," the woman replied, patting her daughter on the head. "More like...travelers. Wanderers." She stared at them a moment longer, watching them point at the highest building or dodge a fancy car coming down the street.

Haseo pulled Shino onto a sidewalk and turned to Ovan, who was coming their way. "This place is awesome! Everything's so bright, and there's even water in the streets!" he shouted with excitement. Shino nodded vigorously, still looking around.

"Yes, but it will take a lot of getting used to." Ovan managed to capture the two's attention long enough to hand them each a soft object wrapped in foil. "Eat those when you get the time. You'll need your energy." They nodded, finally giving their full attention to the man. "Tabby and Sakisaka have already gone to explore. I have some business to take care of, but once you're done checking this place out, just come to this apartment." He handed Haseo a map, and then a small key. "Now listen closely."

"Find Silabus and Gaspard. They're merchants in this city. I've already talked things over with them and they've agreed to give you a tour of the city life. I would, but I think they know this place better than I do." He paused for a moment, giving Haseo time to write the details down on the back of the map. "Remember, this place is different from home, so absolutely no violence under any circumstances." Haseo slumped noticably. "Otherwise you'll be arrested by the police." Shino gave him a confused look. "Nevermind."

"This place is huge," Haseo commented, looking at the map. "Oh, I think I get it." He saw a small square on the map with a large red circle drawn around it. "That's the apartment."

Ovan nodded. "Once Silabus has told you everything, just go there and get some sleep. I'll be there too." He fell silent again, this time looking at the pavement with a sad look in his eyes.

"Ovan?" Haseo asked, trying to look him in the eye. "Are you alright?"

The man shook his head and waved the subject off. "I'm fine, don't worry. Anyway, I have to be going. You two stay out of trouble," he added before walking off.

"Bye, Ovan!" Shino called, waving to him. "Thanks!" Haseo waved to their mysterious friend until he was out of sight. "Okay, let's go eat! I'm starving!" Shino went on, not knowing just how right she was.

They quickly located a bench in a circular area between some intersections. Couples walked by happily, their pricey boots clacking on the cobblestone. Small trees grew in places on the central circle, and a theater was flashing lights beside them.

Unwrapping the foil, the two saw something they'd never seen before. A sandwich; a combination of meat and vegetables in between two slices of bread. They looked at each other, shrugged, and bit into the food. Considering they were so hungry, the food tasted beyond delicious and they devoured the sandwiches in a matter of minutes.

"Check that out," Haseo said, pointing quite a ways above them at an electric billboard. On it was the face of a man with sleek blue hair and an elegant face, magenta eyes seeming to stare at them. "How did that guy get in that panel?" he asked, not taking his eyes from it.

"I don't know, but he's hot," Shino mumbled, staring at it dreamily. Haseo elbowed her jokingly and she laughed. "Well whoever he is, he looks rich. I wonder..." she trailed off, looking up at what few faint stars she could descry. "Will we ever be rich like that?" Thoughts of her past indigence flooded through her like a torrent of memories, and she smiled to herself. They were finally moving forward.

"I'm not sure," Haseo finally returned, staring up at the sky with her. "But I have a feeling we'll be alright." He closed his eyes, taking in the smell of the industrial city. "Thanks to Ovan." Shino's smile faded and she paused, then lowered her head.

_All you ever think about is Ovan,_ she thought, but she couldn't help but agree. That man had brought them to this place and had practically raised them when they lived in the slums. It was like Tabby said: they owed him a lot. The girl turned to Haseo and waited until he opened his eyes. They looked at each other, before turning away and laughing nervously. "Sorry."

Their awkward moment was interrupted as a group neared them. "Hey, look at these losers!" a female voice screeched, drenched with saucy wealth and a confident ego. Haseo and Shino looked up to see a group of four girls, richly dressed and unbelievably gorgeous. In their late teens and early twenties, the girls stood before the bench with a gang-like formation that reminded the two of back home. "Poor countryfolk."

"Hey!" Haseo shouted, standing up. "Don't pick on people you don't even know! Now apologize or get lost before I kick your asses!" Shino stood, glaring at each girl individually. But a pretty blonde girl just laughed, making the others follow suit.

"Please. The only thing more pathetic than those rags you've got on was that comeback," she sneered, raising a manicured fingernail to her glossy lip. "The cops would be on your case if you dared raise a fist against innocent people. So shut up." Haseo stepped forward, making the girls step back. His hands itched to draw his knives, but Ovan had said no violence, and these police he kept hearing about sounded pretty dangerous.

Haseo growled under his breath, clenching his fist angrily as the women cavorted around them. "What are you wearing anyway?" one girl asked, leaning closer to them. "Hm, I don't see a label. It must be homemade." The girls chorused together in a snobbish laugh, making the newcomers shake in anger. "Come on, can't you go shopping for real clothes?" The girl's invective was cut short as Shino pushed her back, making her stumble a few steps in her high heels.

"Ew! Don't touch me with those grimy hands of yours!" she hissed in revulsion.

"Seriously, when was the last time you people took a bath?" a voluptuous redhead asked, holding her nose. "So gross. You don't even deserve to be in Doluminanu."

Haseo took Shino's hand and used the other to flip the girls off. "Fuck you, bitches. I don't have time for this." He started off, but the girls followed. "Leave us alone!"

"Where are you going? I'd hate for you to spread any more of that disgusting virus anywhere else in town," the blonde went on. Shino felt tears well up in her eyes as she quickened her pace away from the girls, following Haseo. He saw this and stopped turning around.

"I said _leave us alone!!_" he roared. They stopped walking, but glared at them with mascara-coated eyes. Haseo stood, shaking with petulance, still gripping Shino's wrist. "Now shut up and get the hell away from us or _I'll _be the one calling the damn cops!"

The leader of the girls cocked her head, paused, and started forward. Haseo braced himself, but nothing came. He cracked an eye open and saw the girls were distracted. "What are you ladies doing?" an unfamiliar voice asked. High heels clacked against the stone ground as the four ran somewhere to Haseo's right, towards a strange man.

"Kuhnie!" a girl exclaimed, glomping him tightly. "You've got to check out these low-lives! They're so ridiculous!" Stepping further into the light, a richly dressed man looked at Shino and Haseo, examining them closely. Haseo, too, took in the sight of this person.

He was lavishly clothed in a saffron robe of some sort over a dark umber shirt. His pants looked to be made of rare, soft fabric that matched his robe and his shoes were solid jet black. He was tall and handsome, long turquoise hair pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a strange yellow fedora on his head with a delicate, white feather on the side. What Haseo noticed the most were the blue markings on his face that accentuated the man's features. His citrine eyes glimmered in the city lights as he looked the two over.

With a soft smile, he made his way closer. "Hey there. You two must be new," he said, and both Haseo and Shino were taken aback by his kindness. He took Shino's hand in his and brought it up to his lips, making Shino blush a deep red. "We don't get very many travelers as beautiful as you," he purred directly at Shino, making her light-headed.

"Th-thank you," she said, trying to turn away but finding that she couldn't. Haseo cleared his throat and folded his arms when the rich man looked at him.

"Oh! I guess this is your boyfriend, huh?" he asked Shino, who shook her head frantically. "No?"

"Uh, I'm Shino!" she managed, bowing at him. "And this is Haseo. We're not together." The stranger raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless.

"I see. Well, I'm glad," he said quietly, giving Shino a charming smile that nearly made her lose her balance. "I apologize for the troublesome behavior of these ladies," he said sincerely, gesturing behind him at the crowd of girls. "They get a little defensive when they know they have competition." The blue-haired man winked at Shino and she had to lean on Haseo for support.

"It's fine," Haseo said flatly, giving "Kuhnie" a hateful look. "Thanks." He nodded and started back to his group, turning back once to tip his hat in their direction.

"I'll see you two around." With that, the stranger disappeared in the darkness of the city.

Haseo sighed, thankful the guy was gone. "Jeez, talk about a ladies' man. Jerk." He turned to see Shino in a total daze, staring in the direction the man left in with a pink blush staining her face. "Hey!"

"Ooh, what was his name?" she asked, still in her own world. "He's so romantic, and he didn't even know me." She looked down at her hands, smiling lazily. "No one's ever said things like that about me."

The rogue felt himself get hot in anger and he shook the girl lightly. "Man, forget him! He's full of shit, so let's go find Silabus and Gaspard." He was forced to drag Shino through town, following the map to the other area Ovan had circled.

The town was packed with people even at night, and Haseo and Shino had to weave their way through, Haseo using street signs and landmarks to cut across town. People gave them suspecting looks as the two homeless teenagers pushed past them, wondering why they hadn't noticed them before. A small building with a shop set up in the front was finally sighted as they approached it. "This has got to be it."

A small, round figure was seated at the shop, poorly dressed and staring off into space. Shino took a close look at his smoky eyes and frowned. "Hi," she started, catching his attention. "Haseo and I are looking for Silabus and Gaspard." The stout boy nodded indistinctly and his eyes shifted from side to side.

"I'm Gaspard," he said lowly, glancing up at the other two. "You must be the two Ovan was talking about. What do you need?"

Haseo stepped in front of Shino. "You're supposed to give us a tour of Doluminanu."

"I have to watch the shop though," Gaspard explained. "Silabus is out at the moment, so you'll have to go find him." Shino gasped in delight and looked at the trinkets hanging under the shop's awning.

"What do you sell?" she asked in curiousity, knowing that she couldn't buy anything anyway.

Gaspard shifted his eyes from side to side again, before leaning forward a little. "Drugs." Haseo took a step back and Shino raised her eyebrows. After a small pause, Gaspard gave them a bored look. "You interested?"

"Uh, no thanks!" Haseo replied, pulling Shino off again. "We'd better go find Silabus!" They ran off, leaving Gaspard in the dust, with no sense of where they were even going.

"Do you even know where Silabus is?" Shino asked in doubt as Haseo pulled her around a corner. "He could be anywhere in this entire town, and we don't even know what he looks like."

Haseo blew his hair out of his vision and rounded another corner, holding the map with his other hand. "I'll just head to the city square and ask around." Shino sighed at his lack of planning and shook her head.

The city square was a massive stone area elevated by a few steps. The dove-gray rectangular stones beneath their shoes created a spiral that circled a large, equally ashen fountain with a statue of a bird, perched imperiously in the middle of the water streams.

Haseo let Shino loose and asked the nearest man if he knew anyone named Silabus. Shino, however, caught sight of a lonely-looking man standing at the fountain's edge, tossing coins into the pool. The girl wandered closer and before she knew it, she was standing beside him. His eyes were unfocused, staring at the water's reflection as he threw another handful of tiny discs into the water and watching the ripples.

"You must be making quite a few wishes," Shino said in friendly conversation, to which the man nodded.

"I heard all the money this fountain collects goes to the needy, so in a way, I guess that is my wish." Shino's heart tightened at the sound of such goodwill and she smiled happily. Little did the man know, Shino was pretty close to the needy he was talking about.

The girl looked behind her with no sight of Haseo. _I guess he hasn't found him yet._ "Do you know someone named Silabus?" she asked the quiet man. He simply turned to her with an empty look and a small shrug.

"That would be me." She gasped in surprise and grinned again, turning around.

"Haseo!!" she hollered, turning back around just in time to see the man's first expression since boredom.

"Haseo? Then you must be Shino." She nodded and extended her hand, which Silabus shook. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry I wasn't at the shop."

The silver-haired rogue came racing over, his eyes falling on the man. "Is this him?" he asked, and Shino said "yes". "I'm Haseo." He said, looking the stranger over carefully.

He was dressed fairly well, dark grays and greens making up his outfit. He looked about nineteen years old with auburn hair and tawny eyes that looked clouded and dull. His brown hair flipped outward and a long ponytail ran down his back, curling at the end. He was a little shorter than Haseo and his expression was distant and tired.

Silabus tossed some of his russet bangs out of his eyes with slightly feminine fingers, sighing quietly. "Okay, you guys look like you're starved to death, so why don't we go buy some food?" Shino and Haseo laughed nervously, thankful the man was at least honest.

The group walked along the sidewalk as Silabus went over a somewhat boring history of Doluminanu. Before long, they came across a small stand shop set up just off the sidewalk. "This is a good place for you guys to start since you don't look very..." Silabus looked Shino and Haseo over from head to toe, raising his eyebrows. "Rich. So go ahead and buy something."

Haseo and Shino stepped toward the shop, turning back to Silabus, who nodded. Swallowing hard, Haseo looked at the clerk lady. "Hey, can I have..." He turned to Shino, who coughed weakly.

"An apple?" she said, looking at the woman. The clerk grinned and took a small apple from the shelf and set it on the counter.

"That'll be 75 GP," she said kindly. Haseo and Shino dug in their pockets and pulled out every coin they had, including Shino's candy wrapper. They gave it to the lady, who counted it silently. "This is only 50 GP. You'll need some more."

Their was a whistle of steel as Haseo drew his knife, holding it against the clerk's neck. She screamed in surprise and raised her hands above her head. "Give us the damn apple and I'll let you go," he threatened through clenched teeth. The woman's fearful trembling stopped when Silabus grabbed Haseo's shirt and pulled him away from the stand. "H-hey!"

Silabus let Haseo go and turned him so that the three of them were in a small huddle. "First things first: never do that again," Silabus lectured shortly. Haseo huffed a sigh, and Shino clasped her hands together. She knew why that had happened; back in the wasteland, they shopped by making deals and trading. If things didn't go the right way, it would only end in bloodshed. Old habits were apparently hard to break and Haseo was definitely a victim of acting on impulse.

"Secondly," Silabus started again. "Since you seem to know so little about shopping, I'll explain. Try to match the price of the item with your money by learning each coin's value and doing the math." The two remained silent, and Silabus exhaled deeply, pulling some coins from his own pocket. "For example, the price of the apple was 75 GP, and you gave her 50, so the difference would be 25 GP." They blinked in surprise as he held up seven small coins. "Now this, 25, combined with your 50, makes 75. Give this to the lady, and the apple is yours."

Shino and Haseo returned to the stand and gave Silabus's coins to the clerk. She took them, eyeing them warily. "Here you go. Thank you."

Haseo sliced the apple apart and handed half to Shino. "Man, what a pain. No wonder Ovan just steals shit." Silabus's jaw dropped and Shino laughed.

"Well you guys had better not steal anything, ever, or the police will get you." Haseo slumped at the sound of this, chewing his apple in thought.

"Who are these 'police' I keep hearing about? They must be a big fucking deal the way you guys talk about them." Silabus waved it off, unable to believe how stupid these people were. "So what's next?"

The brunette turned back to them and stopped walking. "We'd better get you two some new clothes." Shino's eyes lit up as she looked down at her own clothes. "I'd hate to have you guys wear that, because judging by your current knowledge," Silabus stopped, shaking his head. "It's going to be a damn long night."


	5. Atmosphere

**Chapter 5 : **Atmosphere

They walked dangerously close to one of the enormous skyscrapers, Shino reaching a hand out to touch it. "What this?" she asked Silabus, admiring the steely shine of the walls. "It's gigantic. They must have about fifty stores in there." Silabus glanced back for a moment before turning back around.

"Yeah, that place has fifty stores _at least_. It has a name, but I just call it 'The Mall'," he explained, making Haseo and Shino marvel at the superiority of "The Mall". "Personally, I've never been in there. That's where you guys will shop when you're rich." Shino smiled lightly at Silabus's "when you're rich" reference as opposed to "that's where the rich people shop."

"Where do we shop until then?" Haseo asked. He halted his walking when Silabus stopped abruptly in front of him. "Hm?"

The tour guide walked a few steps closer to a brick building before facing his guests. "Here." The building was an outlet store with quality but not expensive clothing. "Let's go in. I'll explain how clothes shopping works, too, because it doesn't look like you two have ever been." The trio entered the building without another word.

Inside, Shino and Haseo were shocked to see the amount of space and the intensity of the electricity-powered lights. Silabus gave them a few moments to look around before leading them to the back of the store. "Wow, this place is amazing!" Shino whispered to Haseo, admiring the rows and rows of colorful garments around them. "I wonder if all this is expensive, like that apple."

"I don't know, but check out how high the ceilings are! I can't imagine what those big buildings are like," Haseo replied, looking at the broad fluorescent lights above them. "People shop in these places?"

"Alright you two," Silabus announced, cutting them off. "Just pick out some articles of clothes that you think you like and then go try them on. If they fit, keep them, and if they don't, put them back. Once you think you have enough, we can go buy it and then you're done." His hands fell to his sides as he completed the directions, turning the two loose for the time being. However, they didn't move. "What?"

Shino looked down at her feet, twisting the toe of her shoe on the shiny floor. "Well...we don't exactly...know what's cool to wear in this city," she mumbled, blushing slightly. Haseo nodded in agreement.

"Psh," Silabus chortled with a short laugh, looking to the side. "Nothing here's really very _cool_, I mean, it's where I get _my _clothes. Just go with your instinct. Clothes are supposed to represent your personal style, so there's no right or wrong." Haseo picked a strong orange and green sweater off a rack and examined it closely. The other man just scratched his head in thought. "Er, maybe there's a wrong, but still. Just find what you like."

In a matter of minutes, the two had been in and out of the dressing rooms, looking a little more like regular people with everything they tried on. Silabus waited by the front desk reading a magazine on depression. Almost an hour passed before Haseo emerged from the aisle, Shino following behind him. Silabus joined them, his eyes first falling on Haseo's heap of black clothes, and then Shino's heap of equally black clothes.

He gave them both a disbelieving look, quirking an eyebrow. "You sure? The summer's get hot, you know."

"I've worn black in hot weather all my life," Haseo argued defiantly. "I can handle it." Silabus still didn't move. "It's my _style_, after all." Silabus sighed and walked with them to the front desk.

The man behind the counter scanned every piece and put it in two separate bags. "Your total comes to 1,076.3 GP," he said, sacking the rest of the clothes. Shino and Haseo hit the floor at the sound of the price, but watched in awe as Silabus handed the man a mass of slips of paper combined with coins. They grew even more confused when the cashier handed a few coins back to Silabus. "Thank you."

They left the building, shopping bags in their hands, and Silabus started talking. "Now I'm a little low on money and we have a few things left to do, so I'm going back to the shop where you probably met Gaspard. Once we get there, you can both take showers and change into your new clothes."

"Hey, Silabus," Haseo started. Silabus said nothing. "It's pretty amazing how you know how much money to give the man. But I have to ask...why did he give some money back to you after you paid?" The brunette slowed down so that he was between the two and not in front of them.

"I paid him more than I needed to since I didn't have the exact amount. He gave me the difference of what I paid and the price so it would be even," he clarified, making things even more confusing.

"So you overpaid him? Why didn't he just keep the money?" Shino asked, thinking about what Ovan said about profits.

Silabus gave the girl a quizzical look. "Because then I would say 'what the hell man? where's my change?' and I'd sue his ass." With a deep sigh, he dismissed the subject. "It's complicated, but don't worry about financial stuff until you have money to spend."

Gaspard's shop came into view and he waved at them as they went inside. The inside of the house was dusty and smoky like their old shack had been, but it had softer furniture and more rooms. "The shower is in the back." Silabus cracked open a roll of coins as Haseo and Shino started for the back room. "You'll want to take them separately," he advised, and Haseo decided to sit down.

While the others finished their showers and got dressed, Silabus waited for them at the front door. "Man, showers are pretty cool," Haseo commented as he combed some of his still-wet bangs to the side. Silabus rolled his eyes and waited for Shino to appear.

Haseo had decided on a simple outfit consisting of a black shirt, jacket, pants, and shoes. The basic design had a flare, though, that looked surprisingly good on the rogue. Shino wore a pearly, dark gray silk dress styled like her old one and a black jacket. Her tall white boots came up to mid-thigh, complimenting her slim leg shape.

Silabus stared at them as he ground his cigarette into the pavement outside, blowing smoke from his mouth. "You guys ever heard of color?" he asked before glancing at Haseo's red eyes, and then Shino's green ones. "Hm, I guess that works."

"Thanks again for buying these for us," Shino said, hugging her coat closer to her.

"I only bought those because you needed them. I'm not rich, so once you guys are, I expect you to pay me back," Silabus explained casually with absolutely no venom in his fair deal. Haseo nodded, however, fingering the hilt of his blade.

"Yeah, back where we're from, IOUs were a big deal, so no problem. We totally understand debts." Silabus nodded and left the building, the other two following closely behind. Haseo noticed that some of Silabus's earlier dullness seemed to have diminished, the smoky look in his eyes gone. _Maybe he was just tired_, he thought.

Nearing a corner at an intersection, Silabus pressed a button on a large pole. "The next place we're going is," he paused, running his fingers through his hair, "Sadly, a bar. I think it'd be a good place for you to get exposed to the city environment as well as meet new people." They crossed the street and continued down the sidewalk for some time. "But I'm warning you now, that place can get pretty hectic."

"You mean like fighting?" Haseo asked in hope. To his surprise, Silabus nodded.

"Fights break out all the time there, but they don't last for long. I think they have someone in the police working there full-time." A small building was around the next corner with a small, lemon yellow neon light spelling the word _BAR_, the _A_ flickering lazily. "Well, here we are." Haseo and Shino exchanged glances before walking through the door.

The inside was nothing like the outside, several sizes bigger than the small brick building had looked. The floor was coated with a thin carpet that looked maroon, its color caused by the pink and orange lights on the ceiling. It was dark and hard to see unless under one of the bright lights. The carpet turned to tile around the bar, where there were barstools seating several people. Old antiques and fine glasses decorated the walls and a vintage jukebox was playing a classic rock song.

Shino instinctively grabbed Haseo's hand and Silabus led them to three empty seats by the bar counter. "This place is a little loud," Silabus was forced to nearly shout, "but you get used it pretty easily." They all looked up as the bartender waltzed over to them.

"What can I get you all?" he asked languidly, polishing a wine glass. Shino asked for water and Haseo agreed. The bartender nodded, his straight blonde hair fanning out around his shoulders as he whirled around.

"Okay, so listen up," Silabus stared, leaning closer to the two. "Money can come in coins or bills. Bills are worth more, but coins are good for exact change, as well as cheaper items. Each piece, paper or metal, has a different value..." Haseo tuned Silabus's lesson out and took a look around the bar.

Tough guys were in a big crowd at one end of the bar, next to a group of quieter, more refined-looking people. Beautiful women in strange outfits entertained the men with an astonishing amount of patience and smaller groups at tables seemed to be just as loud as the bar. The entire place was teeming with life and brilliance, but something seemed darker than it appeared.

Haseo was about to turn around when he caught a glimpse of a certain woman, standing off to the side. She was scantily clad and talking on her cell phone, a partially troubled expression on her face. She looked to be in her twenties, long pink hair tied back in two ponytails and a young but intelligent face. She stood with one hip cocked to the side, her hand on her elbow and the other on her cell phone.

The girl barked something into the cell phone before slamming it shut, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she put the phone away. She sighed irritably and mumbled something incoherent before she sighted Haseo staring at her. Smirking slyly, the girl made her way over to their area. Haseo stayed facing her in case she had anything to say, but the minx just walked past while giving Haseo a suggestive look, her fawn brown eyes burning behind transparent lens.

She was soon out of sight, Haseo watching her disappear in the blackness. There was something odd about that woman. It appeared she worked at the bar, but the demands she'd been making over the phone were strictly business. His musings were interrupted as he noticed Silabus giving him a strange look. They sat in silence, then Silabus shrugged and turned back around.

"Damn. I don't know what you did, but it was cool. It takes a lot to get the women here to notice you." The brunette took a drink of his dark, turbid beverage as Haseo grabbed his arm, shaking him lightly.

"Who was that woman?" Haseo asked desperatly, hoping to find something out about her.

Silabus furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean? She's just a hooker." Haseo shook his head, but Silabus ignored him. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, grocery shopping." Haseo didn't listen to the rest of the explanation and simply stared off into space, wondering who that girl was.

They left the bar after a few drinks, stepped back out into the crisp night air. They waited for a while as Silabus and Haseo smoked cigarettes and talked briefly about the city's electric system. Shino found this very boring and stared at the sky, until she heard a familiar voice to her right.

She looked over to see the richly-dressed man with the blue hair again. He was talking to a group of people, mostly women, and had apparently just left the bar. Shino tugged Haseo's jacket, not taking her eyes of the man. "Hey Haseo, it's that guy."

The rogue sighted the yellow-robed stranger and wrinkled his nose. "Oh yeah, the rich guy. Kuhnie or whatever."

The attractive man shivered noticably at the sound of a man using his nickname, cringing lightly as he turned around. He relaxed though when he saw the familiar couple and took a few of steps closer to them. "Actually, it's Kuhn," he corrected, faking a smile at Haseo in attempt to be polite.

"We meet again," Shino started, waving at Kuhn brightly. Silabus looked closer before smiling bitterly at the man.

"Indeed we do," he said, patting Kuhn on the shoulder. "It's good to see you again." Kuhn paused in dumbfounded silence before his face lit up and he embraced Silabus fully, shocking everybody.

"Silabus! I haven't seen you in forever! What's been going on?" Silabus pried Kuhn from him and caught his breath as the man went on. "It feels like it's been an eternity! How's Gaspard? And the shop? I'm sure you guys are doing fine without me." Haseo raised an eyebrow cautiously.

"You guys know each other?" he asked, pointing at Kuhn and then Silabus.

Kuhn grinned widely and nodded. "Yeah, we're old friends."

"Haseo, Shino," Silabus started, turning to them. "This is Kuhn. He's a rich, successful, famous, charismatic, and charming pimp who spends his time," Silabus shrugged, turning back to Kuhn. "Being rich."

"Aw, don't sound so upset, Sil." The younger man faced Shino and Haseo again, opening his mouth to say something. "Oh don't worry. I've already met these two. I guess you're showing them around town, huh?" Silabus nodded blankly. "Well, it's good to see you guys again. I'd love to stay and chat, but I've gotta go." He jerked a thumb in the direction of his earlier crowd, who was proceeding to leave without him. "See you around!" he announced, running off to catch his friends.

Silabus sighed, thankful he was gone. "I'm sorry about that. Kuhn is a little like a celebrity in this city, so..." he trailed off, looking at the ground.

"That would explain all the compliments," Haseo prompted, rolling his eyes. "Still, how did you two know each other?"

Silabus continued to stare at the concrete, honey-brown eyes seeming to shine with...tears? "We just...used to work together. That's all," he offered vaguely with a small blush. Shino noticed this and started to speak, but Silabus immediately started for another direction. "Let's go."

The trio headed off another way. "I'll walk you to your apartment," Silabus offered. Haseo handed him the map, which Silabus refused. "It's okay, I know where it is."

The majority of their walk went on in silence, Haseo and Shino again taking in sights of the foreign landscape. Thunder rumbled somewhere far off.


	6. Destiny?

**Chapter 6 : **Destiny?

As the group continued walking through the night, Haseo started to feel a little tired. They didn't know how long they'd been out, but since they'd arrived at sunset, it was late without a doubt.

They paced down the sidewalk with no destination in mind, wandering through town like an errant breeze. It wasn't until Haseo caught something out of the corner of his eye that they stopped for a second. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked Silabus, pointing to a group by the wall of an alley. Silabus gasped aloud and pulled the two to the side behind some trashcans, still able to see the group they were spying on. "Hey!"

"Shh! That's the police," he clarified, seeing Haseo and Shino nod. "They don't like for people to watch them do their dirty work, but we'll make an exception," the brunette glanced from Haseo to Shino. "Just so you guys know what it is they really do." They fell quiet, and listened intently.

It was a group of five, though it looked like four of them were cornering one of them. "So, have you collected the money we requested..._three weeks ago_?" a tall man asked. He had long green hair tied up on his head. His eyes were a piercing shade of green, leering down at a frightened old man. The tall one had a grave face and looked in his late twenties, handsome and strong. His arms were folded over his black uniform defiantly.

"I-I don't have the money yet, but I will!" the old man protested, trembling with fear. "I promise, within the next...just give me three days! Three!"

"Do not tell us what to do!" a woman snarled. She had jet black short hair with long locks hanging in front, DPD beads on the ends. Violet eyes glared at the victim from under her dark eyelashes, a frown of disgust on her pretty face. She looked about the same age as the earlier man, voluptuous and fit. Her uniform had a similar style but entirely different ensemble. It was like they all had their own outfit. "As the Doluminanu Police Department, you will not give us orders, nor ask for any type of lieniency!" Her voice was loud and rigid, but she obtained a look of tenderness when a child at her side said something.

"Please, Kaede. It's alright." It was indeed a kid. He looked about thirteen years old. Haseo gave Silabus an incredulous look, but he only said he'd explain later. The boy had short, light blue hair and golden eyes. He had a gentle face and a small smile, but he looked wise beyond his years. He had an apparent place of authority, which one could tell by the way the others stood around him. "Though I am rather disappointed in you, sir." His voice was eerily knowledgable and calm, fit for a leader.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! It won't happen again! I'll have it in no time, I swear!" The man was practically begging on his knees before the Police Force, tears in his eyes. Haseo knew just by looking that these guys were some serious shit. The leader nodded to the fourth man, who nodded back.

"Sorry, gramps. Your time is up." The last of the police raised his gun from his belt, aiming it at the man's head. This one looked about Haseo's age, flaming red hair and orange eyes that burned with vengeance. His face held a cocky grin and he too possessed strange markings that carved along his cheekbones, just like Kuhn's. The hand of his muscular arm flipped the switch with a click, and the unfortunate one hadn't even the time to scream as the bullet sailed though his skull, and then into the sidewalk out the other end.

Haseo and Shino were shocked and completely dumbfounded. Just who were these people, and how did they gain the right to kill people? Where was the system of law that should be arresting them for first-degree murder? They could only exchange glances though and wait for Silabus to elaborate.

The old man collapsed in a moribund, bloody heap. The green-haired man knelt down beside their victim and started searching him. The redhead sheathed his smoking gun and the child simply turned away, whispering details to the woman.

"Master Zelkova," the man said in a deep voice, turning around. "It appears this liar had the money on him after all." The kid nonchalantly faced the corpse and eyed the cash in the other's hands. "I suppose that means we shouldn't have killed him."

Although Shino was nodding, Zelkova simply laughed, a cordial, childish laugh that was still so terrifying. "Ah, no. I have no regrets. The result would've been the same either way." His bright eyes moved from the older man to the younger. "Sakaki, you and Matsu take that money back to HQ. Kaede and I will find out just who this guy was, and if he's got any friends we should know about."

"Understood," Matsu and Sakaki replied simultaneously befores starting down the sidewalk. Haseo turned around and opened his mouth to begin the inquiry, but Silabus stood, lifting the two with him.

They all looked, and their stomachs churned to see Sakaki and Matsu heading in their direction. Shino mouthed "what do we do", but Silabus remained calm. The key was to look busy, and so they all found a way to do so.

Sakaki walked by, slowly at first, nodding at Silabus in common respect. However, Matsu caught Haseo's eye, and the policeman gave him a hostile look of deregation. Haseo flinched and had to try not to hit the other, but Matsu noticed this as well. A smirk crept across his lips as he walked by, still eyeing Haseo with an imperious glare. All Haseo had were a couple of knives, and he knew from Ovan that guns would kill him within seconds. So he held his tongue for the time being, waiting for them to disappear.

Once they were gone, the three took on their triangle formation. "Who the hell are they?" Haseo started, staring intently at Silabus. "What _are _the police?"

Silabus looked down, and then up again. "The Doluminanu Police Department is the organization responsible for upholding the law in town." Shino jerked in shock, her fists tightening. Haseo just shook his head. "They have horrifying torture routines and a strict punishment if you don't meet their standards. Everyone takes them dead seriously."

"Strict punishment is right; they just shot that man! What could he have possibly owed them money for?" Shino shook in anger. "They're the structure of law! They're supposed to condemn murder and violence, not condone it! Not encourage it!" Silabus quieted her down, hoping not to attract the attention of the remaining two cops. "I just can't believe them."

"That man probably didn't owe them shit," Haseo scoffed, causing the other two to turn to him. "Otherwise, he would've just handed the money over. Whatever that money was, it was rightfully his. That's why he refused to give it up." If there was one thing Haseo learned in the slums, it was the art of trade and keeping what's yours. He knew that man wasn't guilty.

"Just stay out of their way, and they'll stay out of yours," came Silabus's words of wisdom. "Still, you can't be too careful. They could be anywhere. For now," Silabus paused, combing his bronze bangs aside. "Let's just get you two home. It's been a hell of a long night and I'm tired."

The group walked along the path of the map, little to no conversation taking place. Everyone was thinking, and everyone was tired. Shino fell back slightly, wondering what would've happened had that man been allowed to live. Something had to be done about the police system in this city. This she knew for a fact, and it was just her first experience with a police force at all. But she could worry about that another time.

Silabus and Haseo pointed out the apartment on the map and started down another street. Shino decided to rethink some of Silabus's words, wondering if Kuhn might have anything to do with their friend's strange personality. She closed her eyes.

Silabus ran a shop with Gaspard, and Kuhn was a successful celebrity. They had known each other for a while, but split up and hadn't seen each other in what Kuhn defined as an 'eternity'. As Haseo and Silabus continued talking about town, Shino analyzed the previous conversation.

_"I'm sure you guys are doing fine without me_," Kuhn had said.

_"...who spends his time...being rich."_ Silabus had said this grudgingly, almost like he was kidding. _"We just...used to work together._" Shino felt her heart speed up as she got closer to solving the mystery. Silabus was reading a magazine on depression in the store, and his eyes looked dull and bland when they'd first met. It was almost as though he...

_"That's where you guys will shop when you're rich." _Shino stopped walking. _"I'm not rich, so once you guys are, I expect you to pay me back."_ He'd always called them rich, like he knew they'd grow up successful. The girl gasped aloud when a block of realization hit her, making her raise a hand to her mouth.

"What?" Haseo asked, turning around. Shino looked up, then shook her head. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah," Shino stammered, running to catch up with them. "Just...thinking." _I guess...that's why Silabus is doing this for us._ A car honked to her left and she shook her head. _I can't think clearly. I'll deal with this later._

"Well here we are," Silabus announced slowly, stopping in front of an apartment complex on the outskirts of town. A chorus of crickets filled the air and the moon was high in the sky. The trio approached the brown building with a single light on, Silabus falling back. "This is where we part ways." The two turned to face him, smiling appreciatively.

"Thanks for everything," Haseo said. "We couldn't have gotten started here without you." He took a long look around as Silabus nodded. "I guess I'm still getting used to this whole city thing."

"Yeah, well you'll fit in just fine," Silabus reassured them. Turning around, he started back towards the city lights. "Take care, you two."

"See you tomorrow!" Shino watched as the man walked off, before following Haseo inside.

The interior of the building was a shock from their slum abode that had sheltered them all those years. Tabby, Sakisaka, and Ovan were nowhere to be found, and it didn't take long before Shino and Haseo felt fatigue set in. "We've been up and running all day, and it's already past midnight," Haseo said through a yawn.

Shino nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, and the excitement has really taken a lot out of me." She wandered to the back room, where she saw a bunk bed. A real bed, with sheets and pillows and even a fine, hand-made quilt. Smiling, she took a seat on the bottom bed. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "So, see you in the morning?"

Haseo smiled and put his hands behind his head. "Yeah. I guess so." He waited until Shino was settled before climbing up, so as not to get in her way. Too excited to change their clothes, they decided not to wait for Ovan to come home. Tomorrow would be a new day, Haseo thought, grinning as he pulled the covers up.

But tomorrow didn't come so easily, and Haseo ended up lying awake in bed for an hour until he groaned impatiently and crept out of his bed. His stomach was tied in knots with anxiety and excited energy in regards to their new home. Their new world. Their new life.

Haseo looked out the window, picking his knives up off the nightstand and fastening them to his belt. A streetlight was on and the night looked cool, so he headed to the kitchen, pushed the door open and started outside.

The wind was blowing patiently and calmly, crickets and frogs the only sound in the secluded apartment area. Haseo lit a cigarette and began walking down the damp sidewalk, his mind calm, his body restless, and his senses on edge. Back in the wasteland, Ovan had warned them to be particularly careful at night, when lurkers could hide in the shadows. Now, Haseo was well accustomed to the darkness and if anything, he was sharper and faster when surrounded by the black sky.

Passing by an alley, Haseo saw a man and woman making out, lovingly and sensually. It was unlike anything he'd seen back at home, and he thought for just a moment that those two people, perhaps, were really in love. He smiled wryly to himself and took another drag off his cigarette, walking past them.

"Oooh, Kuhn..." the woman's voice moaned, making Haseo stop in his tracks yet again. Kuhn, again? Was this guy everywhere?

"Kuhn," Haseo said quietly, maybe just to let it sink in that he'd found this pimp yet again, still on his first day in town. The man started at the sound of his name, and turned around, the girl equally surprised. Kuhn, flustered and caught off guard, stepped into the streetlight.

"Haseo," he said, trying to smile but to no avail. "Wh-what a coincidence to see you...again. Then again, you know what they say: if you run into the same person three times in one day, it's not a coincidence. It's destiny." The woman stepped up to his side, smiling politely. Haseo grunted in response to Kuhn's rambling statement, and the man moved on, laughing nervously. "Uh, this is Challo. She's a girl I know from work," Kuhn lied, biting his lip and turning to the girl. "This is Haseo. I met him today."

"It's very nice to meet you," Challo said pleasantly, bowing slightly. Haseo nodded in response. "Kuhn, we should be going," she added carefully after a small silence.

Kuhn, who had been looking around anxiously, turned back to his woman. "I suppose you're right. Sorry to keep you waiting." He wrapped his arm around her waist and started away from Haseo. "It was nice to see you again, Haseo," he said over his shoulder, his most common method of addressing Haseo since they'd met. But not since they'd first met had Kuhn ever looked back and made eye contact with Haseo, smiling sincerely and shortly waving two fingers in salute. "Ciao."

"B-bye," Haseo stammered, astonished by Kuhn yet again. He dropped his cigarette, still watching them leave, and ground it into the pavement. "Ciao? Where the hell is this guy from?"

When Haseo returned to the apartment, he saw a pile of money on the center of the table and a small note. _This is for Silabus. I know he did you both a few favors in town. Tell him I said hello. - Ovan._

"So Ovan's back," Haseo noted, carefully taking the money and putting it somewhere safe. The door to the farthest room was closed, and the light off. Removing his knives and jacket, the rogue settled back into bed, and for the first time in a while, fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
